Swimming lessons are available for children of any age and many swimming schools offer lessons for babies and toddlers as well as older children.

Some swimming schools recommend starting your baby with lessons as early as around six weeks old, accompanied by one or both parents. The reason for this is that the sooner you start lessons with your baby, the more comfortable they will feel being in water. From this age through to around 4 years old the emphasis is on providing your child with experience and confidence in the water.

Swimming lessons for children around 4 years and over will teach them water survival skills such as getting in and out of water safely, being confident and relaxed in water, free floating, kicking, breath control and treading water. As your child advances, most swimming lessons will then move on to teach how to swim unaided for increasing distances with an emphasis on correct swimming technique. Swimming teachers and swim schools will have a different approach to how they teach your child and what they focus on.

Some of the many reasons to give your child the best start through swimming lessons are:

• Learn young – swimming can be daunting for children and there’s a good chance they’ll be a bit scared at first. But learning at a young age with the support of a trained teacher helps conquer any irrational fear of the water. It can be much harder to get over these types of fears in adulthood
• Safety – playing in and around water is not without risk. Teaching your child how to swim could save their life should they ever accidentally fall into water. Swimming lessons will help children to form a healthy respect for water and its potential danger
• Exercise – swimming is one of the very best forms of exercise, providing a full body workout, increasing lung capacity, improving respiratory well-being and boosting cardiovascular health
• Fun – swimming can be very enjoyable! Not only at your local swimming pool but at the beach, at water parks, lakes, lagoons or participating in water sports. Being able to swim opens up a world of fun activities

Use our search function to find children’s swimming lessons near you.